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Throughout the years DNA evidence has ensured that many rapists and murderers end up where they belong - behind bars. Today DNA analysis has become a potent weapon in the fight against rhino poaching as it will help to ensure that rhino killers are stopped in their tracks.

When considering that 333 rhinos were poached during 2010, it's clear that South Africa is losing rhinos at an alarming rate. Nature lovers and conservationists hoped that 2011 would be a better year, but Sanparks’ announcement on 31 January 2011 that 21 rhinos had already been poached in South Africa during the first month of 2011 made one realise that drastic steps were needed to stop these murders. Along with this sad news came some good news: In the same period, 31 people were arrested in connection with poaching throughout the country - 16 in the North West, ten in the Kruger National Park (KNP), three in Gauteng and two in Limpopo. In addition, five suspected rhino poachers were also killed during skirmishes with park rangers in the KNP, while two others were wounded and hospitalised.

The slaughtering of these beasts is an organised crime with highly organised networks. Poachers are recruited to hunt the rhino and remove the horn, which is then handed to a carrier, or “mule” who hands it to the receiver. The receiver exports it to the distributor, who then sells it to a new pyramid of dealers and other distributors. When the poachers and carriers are arrested and weapons and rhino horns recovered it is not easy to link all the parts to a specific crime scene. Fortunately, this has now changed as forensic DNA methods that are typically used to catch offenders involved in other crimes are now being utilised to save our rhinos.

To learn more about rhino DNA, SERVAMUS visited Dr Cindy Harper from the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (VGL) at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria at Onderstepoort. Dr Harper told us that the idea of DNA profiling of rhino horn originated in 2007 when a wildlife DNA forensics conference was held at Onderstepoort with invited experts in forensic wildlife DNA testing from the United Kingdom, the Trace Wildlife Network. Since rhinos are such a vulnerable species it was decided to start a research project on rhino DNA and particularly DNA from rhino horn.

Dr Harper said that they were surprised to find that nuclear DNA markers worked in DNA extracted from rhino horn and this contradicted the previously held belief that only mitochondrial DNA would work. The extraction method was refined and the result was that the DNA profile that is found in a horn sample, can match DNA found on any other part of the rhino’s carcass. This means that when a rhino horn is found in the possession of a poacher/ smuggler, DNA analysis can link it to a carcass found in the veld. A small piece of rhino horn is needed to do a DNA analysis. The shavings obtained when drilling a hole to insert a microchip in the horn, are enough for the process of obtaining a DNA profile.

VGL and the Trace Wildlife Network were involved with the development and validation of the rhino DNA profiling system, while South African National Parks (Sanparks) provided the research samples.

Advantages of the rhino DNA projectDNA has a number of advantages, including the following:* Unlike microchipping, DNA can never be removed from a horn. * With a DNA database in place, DNA found in a horn can link suspects to a specific poaching scene. * DNA can determine the gender of the rhino.* DNA can also indicate the species (white/black rhino).